Tensioning device for seat bottoms



Jan. 15, 1935. H T BERTSCH 1,987,921

TENSIONING DEVICE FOR SEAT BOTTOMS Filed Jan. 14, 1933 Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE o H 7' I. v 1,987,921 I TENSIONlNG DEVICE FOR SEAT BOTTOMS Herbert T. Bertsch, Minneapolis, Minn.

7 Application January 14, 1983, Serial No. 651,670

1 Claim.

My invention relates to tensioning devices for seat bottoms and particularly for'web bottoms of upholstered articles of furniture such as chairs, davenports, settees. and'the like.

An object'of 'the' invention resides in providing a device by means of which the bottom may be tensioned after the upholstery has been applied to the article of furniture so as to permit of taking up slack in the web bottom occasioned through use or otherwise.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a revoluble sleeve rotatably mounted in the seat rail and accessible'from the bottom of the article of furniture, and in further providing an attaching member secured to the seat bottom and adapted to be rendered operable upon rotation of saidsleeve to draw the seat bottom toward the seat rail.

A still further object of the invention resides in forming the seat rail with a bore for the reception of said sleeve and in constructing the sleeve with a flange upon the outer surface thereof for engagement with the outer surface of the seat rail.

Another object of the invention resides in constructing the attaching'member with a shank adapted to extend into the sleeve.

A still further object of the invention resides in forming the shank with'threads and in providing threaded means carried by the sleeve for engaging the threads of the shank to draw the attaching member toward the seat rail upon rotation of the sleeve.

An object of the invention resides in providing a hook at 'the'end of the shank for engagement with the seat bottom.

A feature of the invention resides in constructing the seat bottom from webbing and in providing a hem at the edge of the seat bottom having a wire therein over which the hook on the attaching member is adapted to be hooked.

An object of the "invention'resides in constructing the hook with a sharpened point adapted to enter and pass through the material of the web bottom in hooking the hook about the wire contained within the hem thereof.

Another object of the invention resides in pro' viding a polysided socket within the interior of the sleeve and in employing a nut disposed within said socket for engagement with the threaded end of the. shank of the attaching member and in constructing .the cavity of such dimensions as to'restrain rotation of the nut whereby rotation of the sleeve will cause the attaching member to recede into the sleeve and the seat bottom to be drawn toward the seat rail.

A feature of the invention resides in constructing the sleeve with a portion projecting 5 inwardly from the inner surface of the seat rail and having a wrench engaging head thereon whereby the sleeve may be readily rotated.

An object of the invention resides in constructing the sleeve tubular in form and of metal of uniform thickness and in bending the flange outwardly from the metal at the end of the sleeve.

. Another object of the invention resides in forming the polysided socket in the sleeve by pressing the metal of the sleeve to simultaneously form a polysided head upon the exterior of the sleeve adapted to be engaged by a wrench.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a chair illustrating the method of using my improved tensioning device.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a, perspective View of one of the tensioning devices with the parts thereof detached from one another.

. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modification of the invention.

In the construction of high class upholstered furniture the preferred method is to use a webbing for the seat bottom which has been attached to the frame of the furniture in different 40 ways. Heretofore when the bottom would sag the usual procedure was to remove the upholstery and to reapply the web bottom or to add reinforcing members to the existing bottom. The present invention provides a device whereby the web bottom may be easily tightened at any time after the article of furniture has been upholstered and without the necessity of removing the upholstery of the furniture.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown a frame structure 10 for an ordinary upholstered chair, which frame includes rear posts 11 and 12 and front posts 13 and 14. These posts are connected together at their lower ends through the usual front and back seat rails 15 and 16 and side seat rails 1'7 and 18 to form a seat frame 28. Frame members 19 and 20 on which the arms of the chair are built connect the corresponding front and rear posts together, while back rails 21 and 22 and a vertical member 23 form a skeleton framework on which the back rest of the chair may be constructed. The posts 11, 12, 13 and 14 have attached to them legs 24 which support the chair at the proper elevation.

In the ordinary method of attaching the seat bottom to the seat rails 15, 16, 17 and 18 the edges of the seat bottom are caused to underlie the lower edges of the seat rails and are tacked thereto. With my invention a number of tensioning devices such as indicated in Fig. 4 at 25 are employed in place of this construction, which tensioning devices are constructed as will be presently explained and are attached to both the seat rails and the seat bottom.

The seat bottom used with my invention is designated by the reference numeral 26 and may be constructed of any suitable material such as is now used for the purpose. Gunney cloth or any coarse strong material may be employed which is cut into the desired shape and sewed up to form a hem 27 extending along all of the edges thereof. The entire bottom 26 is made of somewhat smaller dimensions than the imier dimensions of the frame 28. Within the hem 2'7 is placed a wire 29 which extends throughout the length of the hem and about all four sides of the seat bottom 26.

For the purpose of mounting the tensioning device in the seat frame 28, the rails 15, 16, 17 and 18 are provided at suitable intervals near the lower edges thereof with bores 33 which extend completely through said rails. These bores are at the same elevation as the seat bottom 26 and serve to support the tensioning devices 25. When the tensioning devices are mounted in these bores and-secured to the seat bottom 26, the said tensioning devices become accessible upon inversion of the furniture and may be manipulated to tension the bottom as desired.

7 The tensioning device proper is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and includes a tubular sleeve 30 which is formed at one end with an outwardly turned flange 31 and at its other end with an inwardly turned flange 32. This sleeve is adapted to be snugly received within the bores 33 of the various rails of the seat frame. The flange 31 abuts against the outer surface 38 of the seat rail, while aportion 39 of the sleeve extends inwardly beyond the inner surface 40 of the seat rail as best shown in Fig. 3. This portion is pressed or stamped as designated at 41 in Fig. 4 to form a hexagonal head on the portion 39 and a corresponding hexagonal socket 42 upon the interior of the sleeve. By means of the head 41 the sleeve 30 may be rotated to manipulate the same for the purpose of operating the tensioning device.

The tensioning device further includes an attaching member 43 adapted to'be secured to the web bottom 26. This attaching member comprises a shank 44 which is threaded as indicated at 45 substantially throughout the length thereof. At one end of this shank is formed a hook 46 which terminates in a sharpened point 47. The point 4? permits of the hook piercing the'material of the hem 2'7 of the web bottom 26 and the hooking of'thehook proper about the wire 29 containedwithin said hem. Within the socket 42 is placed a nut 48 which is held from rotation through engagement with the walls of said socket. This nut is held from axial movement within said socket through the flange 32 which forms an end for the sleeve. Shank 45 of attaching member 43 extends through the flange 32 and is threaded into the nut 48.

In the installation of the invention a number of the sleeves 30 are inserted into the various sockets in the .rails 15, 16, .137 and 18. The attaching members 43 are then Inserted into the said sleeves through the flange 32 thereof until the extreme ends 50 of the shanks 45 extend outwardly beyond the flange 31. Nuts 48 may then be applied to the ends of the said shanks. Thereafter the attaching members 43 may be drawn inwardly to bring the nuts 48 into sockets 42. After the attaching members have been so applied the hooks 46 are hooked into the hem 27 'of the seat bottom and about the wire 29. Thereafter each sleeve 30 is :rotated by applying a wrench to the wrench head 41. As the sleeve rota'tes .flange '31 rides upon the outer surface 38 of the rail in which it .is mounted. During rotation of the sleeve 30 the nut 48 is caused to rotate within .said sleeve. At the same time hook '46 engaging wire 29 holds the attaching member 43 from rotation. This causes the shank 45 of said attaching member to be drawn into the sleeve and the wire 29 to be moved toward the .seat frame. 'By properly tightening each tensioning device the seat bottom may be drawn tau'tin all directions so as to properly support the seat structure when the same is applied thereto.

Inasmuch as the construction of the seat and the mounting 'of 'the supporting springs thereof and the applying of the outer covering of the upholstery may be accomplishedin-any suitable manner and does not 'form .any particular feature of the invention, the -same has not been shown in the drawing. The outer covering however, has been illus'tratedat -51 in Fig. 3 and is illustrated as tacked 'to the'lower edge 52 of the rails of the seatirame through :tacks53. It will 'be noted that the covering overlies the flange 51 of the sleeve '36. However, the said covering fits loosely over the fflange=and does not interfere with the rotation of the-sleeve. After the chair hasbeen used for a time the web bottom '26 may become loose or sag. When such condition occurs the chair may 'be inverted and all of the tensioning devices .25 willibefound to be accessible. A wrenchmaylthenbe applied to the wrench'heads Ail-andthe .varioussleeves connected to the loose portions of the seat bottom rotated to tighten upthe slackiin the web'bo'ttom and makethe same taut iniall directions. This is accomplished without disturbing the upholstery or'without removing any part of the chair.

In Fig. 5 Ihaves'hown 'the-tensioning device utilizedwith'a difiere'nt "form of web bottom. -In this case a number of strips of webbing-'55 and 56 are employed whichare interwoven to form a composite-seat'bottom indicated in'its entirety at 5'7. "The-ends df'these strips of webbinghave attached to them triangular wireloops '58 which may be sewe'd to the endsof said strips or attached thereto throughhems similar to those usedfor securing'the wire"29 to'the'web'bottom 26. The tension'ingdevices usedwith this form of the "invention "are indicated at 25 and are identical with thoseused in theform shown in Figs. 1, 2 ands. "Thehook '46 ofthe attaching members 43 of these devices -are independently hooked into the wire loops 58 as clearly indicated. When the sleeves 30 of these tensioning devices are rotated to cause the shanks of said attaching members to recede into said sleeves, the various strips are tightened and the seat bottom caused to be made taut. With this form of the invention each strip may be independently tensioned so that uniform tension may be given to the seat bottom in all directions.

My invention is highly advantageous in that an extremely simple and effective device is provided, whereby seat bottoms and particularly seat bottoms constructed of webbing or similar material, may be tensioned to cause the same to more effectively support the seat structure carried thereby. With my invention the slack occasioned through use may be easily and quickly taken up without taking the chair apart or disturbing the upholstery or any of the construction thereof. The devices may be constructed at a nominal cost and are easily and quickly applied. Adjustment may be made by any person without the use of special tools and Without any knowledge of mechanics.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent A tensioning device for seat bottoms of upholstered articles of furniture, including a seat rail, formed with a bore extending completely through the same and upholstery secured to the rail and closely overlying the outer surface of the rail to conceal the outer end of the bore, said tensioning device comprising a tubular sleeve having a cylindrical portion adapted to extend through said bore and serving as a bearing for rotatably supporting the sleeve relative to the seat rail, said sleeve being provided with a portion projecting beyond said rail on the uncovered side thereof, said portion being provided to form a polysided socket within such portion and a polysided head upon the exterior of the sleeve, a nut received within said socket and held from rotation thereby, a flange on said sleeve extending inwardly from the free end of the last named portion of the sleeve and serving as an abutment for said nut, a threaded member extending through said flange and screwed into said nut, and a second flange on the sleeve extending outwardly from the free end of the cylindrical portion of the sleeve and adapted to engage said seat rail upon the exterior thereof, said flange lying close to the seat rail and being disposed between the seat rail and upholstery and being covered by the upholstery, the internal diameter of the cylindrical portion of the sleeve being greater than the diagonal dimensions of the nut.

HERBERT T. BERTSCH. 

